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RETRIEVING CONTENT...PLEASE WAIT
Big Baby is a Bright Spot in Celtics 91-70 Loss
Saturday, July 14, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 8:13 PM
The Celtics final game in Summer League wasn't anything to write home about. The Celtics lost 91-70 and fell to 3-2, while Dallas finished undefeated. Rondo sat out the entire game after having proved himself in the first 3 games. Powe also sat much of the game after proving himself in the previous games. The Mavs were led by Jose Juan Barea who scored 10 points and dished out 11 assists. This kid can play. He looked like a waterbug on the court at times but plays under control and can find the open man or hit the open shot. Reyshawn Terry also had a great game for the Mavs scoring 23 points and hitting from everywhere on the court.
The one bright spot in the game was the play of Big Baby Davis who played 32 minutes and finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds, 6 blocks, 1 assist and 2 steals. I think he had more blocks, but that is the official number. The guy was everywhere and showed that he has potential in the league. I can only imagine what he will do after working with Clifford Ray for the rest of the off season. Powe played only 18 minutes and finished with 2 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist. Brandon Wallace only played 12 minutes and finished with 1 points and 1 rebound. He looked like he came up limping after one play in the third quarter and after the game it was confirmed that he did sprain his right ankle.
Pruitt once again played the point for most of the game and finished with 2 points (1-5) with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block. He showed flashes and could be a good back up combo guard. he had ice on his arm after the game so I am not sure if he injured it or if it is an ongoing problem. Allan Ray played somewhat better in this game shooting 5-10 and finishing with 15 points, 2 assists, and 1 rebound. I don't know if it is enough to keep his spot on the team though. Sergio Sanchez played 8 minutes and had 3 points and 1 rebound.
Gerald Green once again struggled shooting only 4-14 and finishing with 15 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist. He was obviously frustrated with himself and that didn't help him any. Allred finished with 5 points, 5 rebounds and 1 block. There may be a spot on some team for him, but I don't see one on the Celtics. Hicks (2 points, 1 rebound, 1 block) and Glyniadakis (3 fouls and 4 turnovers) got spot minutes in the game.
The Mavs led from start to finish and it was never really a contest although the Celtics played hard, their offense was stagnant and the team defense never really got going. We constantly let the shot clock run down and then had to settle for a desperation heave or a shot clock violation. The Celtics shot 37% from the floor versus 50% for the Mavs. The Celtics did out rebound the Mavs 38-33 thanks largely to Big Baby's efforts on the boards. One side note: the announcers said hello to Big Al who was watching the game with a group of kids.
[Recap]
[Box Score]
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Fiddlin' and Diddlin' on 7/14
by FLCeltsFan 9:35 AM
Just a few things this morning. Obviously, a lot of the news surrounds last night's win over Milwaukee. The Herald, Globe and MetroWest Daily all have articles on Pruitt's big game at the point. Sean Grande, Scott Souza, and Peter May all have blog entries with good insights into the Summer League play.
Check out Elrod Enchilada's latest article on RealGM. Entertaining as always. Green Bandwagon discusses 8 points on the Celtics including thoughts on Powe, Wallace, Gomes, Green and more. The Celtics are listed among the up and coming starting fives and Leon Powe gets some love from NBA.com as he is included in players being considered as MVP of the Summer League. Celtics 24/7 has their newest podcast up. Some good stuff there.
The dominoes are still falling without the Celtics making a move. Joe Smith is going to Chicago. Mikki Moore is headed to Sacramento. Jason Hart signed with the Jazz. Stackhouse re-signed with the Mavericks. Steve Blake signed with the Blazers. The Nets have signed Magloire. I know Danny must have something up his sleeve but it just seems like everyone else is making moves and we are standing still. Maybe he is waiting for Garnett to be moved or maybe he has a deal in the works for Camby or Dooling. This waiting is nerve wracking! I expect him to go for a trade rather than a free agent, unless it is a sign and trade, because our roster is pretty crowded. I just hope that whatever we do, we don't give up Jefferson or Rondo. They are the future of this team and I don't want to sacrifice the future. We have done that too many times and it gets us nowhere.
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Preview: Celtics vs Mavericks
Celtics Get Revenge on Tony Brown
Friday, July 13, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 9:51 PM
Former Celtics coach Tony Brown coached the Bucks team against the Celtics. You know he wanted to beat his old team, but the Celtics got in the last word with an 84-76 win. The game was close throughout with 8 lead changes and 12 ties and with no lead bigger than 6.
Rajon Rondo sat out the whole game so that they could look at Gabe Pruitt at the point. He played 33+ minutes at the point and showed that he is capable of leading a team. As a bonus, he has a nice shot and scored from all over the court including a 3 to beat the shot clock with a defender in his face and a strong drive along the baseline finishing with a strong dunk. He finished with 14 points on 6-9 shooting to go with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block and 2 steals. He definitely played like he belongs in the NBA. Allan Ray played a few minutes at the point and once again struggled offensively, shooting 5-14 and finishing with 14 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Sergio Sanchez played just under 2 minutes.
Gerald Green played only 18 minutes and is still struggling. He finished with 8 points on 3-12 shooting with 2 rebounds and 1 assist. Pat Carroll played 14 minutes and finished with 4 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Allred finished with 5 points and 2 rebounds in 14 minutes of play.
Leon Powe had another very good game. He played great defense and finished with 11 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists. Big Baby Davis had his best game yet finishing with 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assist and 1 block. Brandon Wallace was again solid and finished with 6 points, 9 rebounds and 1 assist. His most impressive move was when he came out of no where to jam home a miss. Glyniadakis showed some good moves as he scored 6 points in 6 minutes playing time.
The Celtics out rebounded the Bucks 38 to 22 and their defense at the end of the game was the difference. The Celtics shot 52% from the field while holding the Bucks to 46%. This was a good win in that we got to see what Pruitt could do at the point and our big men came through and once again played well. And best of all, we beat a team coached by Tony Brown who is to blame for all of our defensive shortcomings for the past 3 years (or at least that's what Doc says. Tomorrow will be a big test for this team as we play the undefeated Mavericks.
[Recap]
[Box Score]
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Fiddlin' and Diddlin' on 7/13
by FLCeltsFan 9:26 AM
The Herald discusses the allegations that players don't want to come to Boston due to racism there. Doc says there is no truth to this and that it may have been true at one time but not today. The best part of this article is this revelation from Doc: When the conversation turned less serious, it was suggested that any abuse he takes is because he’s a bad coach.
“That’s right,” he said with a laugh. “I get booed because I suck. But other than that, no. The Globe discusses the huge contract given to Rashard Lewis and feels that they are digging themselves a hole by giving him so much and calls the move a lame brainer. The Globe Celtics Blog feels that the Celtics are putting more effort into their dance team than they are their basketball team.
Over on Celtics.com, Sean Grande is learning how to blog. The Grizzlies are confident that their moves have made the team much better. It appears that Gasol is staying in Memphis, at least for now. True Hoop has learned that Danny Ainge has a sense of humor.
Over at Red's Army, Matty G is seeing the glass half empty. Scott Souza reports that the Celtics are all business out in Vegas. No late night parties for these guys. I do believe that we have a great group of young players who are all hard workers and have good character.
Can Danny sees Gerald Green as more of a forward than a guard, and takes a look at our bench defense. Full Court Press takes a look at the Ray Allen trade and the Telfair rehabilitation tour. In the meantime, Big Baby is liking the way he looks in Celtics Green.
My favorite article comes from The Big Green Machine where they point out that you can't spell Power Forward without Powe. I have been on the Leon Powe bandwagon since day one and am very pleased with what we are seeing from him in Vegas. Hopefully Doc will give him more playing time this season as he makes good things happen whenever he is on the court.
I am anxiously waiting for Danny's next move. According to FSN, Danny is still very much in the hunt for Garnett but don't want to give up Al to get him. Dickerson did say that he thinks we would give up Al for KG but Gorman was more skeptical about it. They are apparently targeting Keeyon Dooling as a veteran back up PG and there are still rumors of Camby coming here. There are also rumors of a 3 way trade that would bring Odom here with KG going to LA where we give up Ratliff and Green but keep Jefferson. These rumors and the waiting are driving me crazy.
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C's vs China (full game)
Thursday, July 12, 2007
by Loyalist 11:35 PM
Once again we here at Loy's Place bring you the full Summer League games. Here is the easy win over China.
Enjoy!
source: NBA.com
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Preview: Celtics vs Bucks
Latest Updates from Vegas
by FLCeltsFan 8:39 PM
On FSN Sports Tonight, Dickerson had several things of interest. First he said that he doesn't see the Celtics running with Pierce and Allen on the team. He feels that part of Rondo's struggles come from the fact that they are trying to make him into a half court point guard. Same old stuff. Doc promises to run and then we end up in a slow down game.
Green has been a disappointment. Last year coming out of summer league, Green was close to untouchable but now it is just the opposite. Only problem is that his trade value is very low around the league.
He said that there is still a lot of life in the KG to Boston talks. Ainge and McHale have been spending a lot of time together in Vegas. KG and the Suns' owners both have the same financial guy and they are still trying to get KG to the Suns. Dickerson said that Danny doesn't want to give up Al but he thinks he would for KG.
The most interesting thing he said was that the Celtics are very interested in Keyon Dooling. Dooling has one year left on his contract at $3.596 million. He averaged 7.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game last season. Dickerson said that his teammates love playing with him, but I just can't believe he is the best we can come up with for a veteran back up point guard. Dickerson also said that we are still very seriously in the mix for Camby. Camby would be good if we don't have to give up too much for him considering his age and injury history.
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Fiddlin' and Diddlin' on 7/12
by FLCeltsFan 10:47 AM
We are seeing some good things out of the Summer League. Rondo showed last night that he can score when needed. Powe is showing that he can play. And the team is playing defense. Let's hope that this is just the start and things will get even better in the regular season. The Herald and Celtics Blog both give recaps of last night's game over China. You can watch it today on FSN at noon easter time or on NBA TV at 4 eastern time if you missed it.
The Herald discusses Rondo's improved shooting and work ethic along with Big Baby's fascination with his image in a Celtics jersey. The Globe tells us that Brandon Wallace is in a position to fit in with the Celtics. The options for free agents are narrowing with Darko going to Memphis, Wallace staying in Charlotte, Lewis going to Orlando, Billups staying in Detroit, Fisher is signing in LA, and Hill signing in Phoenix. There are still a few options out there. Mike Gorman mentioned that the Celtics were in talks about Camby and just about every other free agent on the market. He also mentioned that talks about a trade for Garnett are still on going. I'm with Mike when he says that he hopes that Jefferson is off the table in any talks going on. Mike said that the Celtics are still interested but without the 5th pick and Al, what can we offer them that they would consider enough for Garnett? Along those lines, Danny has been spending a lot of time with McHale these days. They were sitting together at last night's game and they have been golfing together as well. And Red's Army is disturbed over Kevin's physique these days.
The Worcester Telegram catches up with Ryan Gomes and reports that he is happy with the direction of the Celtics. The Miami Herald reminds us that Bill Russell is a class act all the way. The Daily News Tribune reports that Powe is getting it. Powe, who took Monday's loss particularly hard considering it was an exhibition against mostly players who will never suit up in a real NBA game, said before last night's game that he got the point. Then he got plenty of points, scoring 12 on 5-for-5 shooting to go with seven rebounds in the first half of last night's game.
"I still have to think team-first out here," he said. "Doc has told me that he wants me to play a lot for him next season, so I just have to keep playing tough.
"On offense, he said that I am going to score a couple of points out there," he concluded, "But we have Paul here, and Ray, and Al down low. There aren't going to be too many touches coming my way. I understand that and I am trying to do whatever I can to fit in with the team we have." I like the fact that Doc is planning on playing Powe a lot this season, but last season he said that he planned to give Leon a lot more minutes and then proceeded to cut his minutes back. I really like Powe and feel with some experience he can be a very good player. I would much rather have Powe out there than Scal.
The Boston Dirt Dogs take a look at a day in the life of Danny Ainge. Tough job, but somebody has to do it. NBA Glue takes a look at Pruitt and what he can offer the Celtics. So far I am encouraged by what I have seen in Summer League. Danny could pull off a deal at any time as he is in talks about virtually every player available. It wouldn't surprise me if he goes for Camby. But then again, nothing Danny does surprises me any more. He has become a master of the unexpected moves. I just hope he has learned from past experience and doesn't give up too much to bring another veteran to the team. Garnett would be nice, but not at the expense of our future.
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Powe Shines as Celtics Dominate Chinese Team
by FLCeltsFan 7:45 AM
After the first quarter, this one was never really in doubt. It took the team until the end of the first quarter to get their first lead, though. After a sloppy start, the team pulled together and played very well. Rondo proved tonight that if he needs to, he can score as he came out shooting finished with 12 points on 5-10 shooting along with 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. Pruitt also got some time leading the team and finished with 4 points and 3 rebounds. He has some good point guard skills and can pull up and hit the open shot. Allan Ray once again struggled with his shot and finished with 3 points on 1-4 shooting with 1 assist, 3 steals and 1 block in 16 minutes. So far, it seems as though Ray is the odd man out. Pruitt gives us what he does and is taller and has played better in summer league.
Our two starting big men both had double doubles. Powe was the player of the game finishing with 23 points on 7-9 shooting along with 12 rebounds. He is definitely making a case that he can help the team this year. He has been active on both ends of the floor and has played great defense. Davis finished with 10 points (3-5), 11 rebounds, and 1 steal. He also had 8 fouls and 6 turnovers so still has work to do. Brandon Wallace had another good game, finishing with 2 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. I like this kid. He is active on the boards and defensive end and that is going to help us.
Gerald Green again struggled to find his shot and finished 2-10 from the field with 2 rebounds and 1 block. It may be that he is trying too hard. Allred had a solid game with 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. I don't see him making our team, but he could catch on with a D League team or another team who could use some bench players. For the first time, the bench players got some good minutes. Carroll finished with 4 points, 1 rebound and 2 steals in 12 minutes. Glyniadakis finished with 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 block in 10 minutes. Sanchez had 2 points and 2 rebounds in 6 minutes, and Hicks played 4 minutes and finished 0-2. Francis did not play, which makes me wonder what is up with him.
As for what might have been, Yi began the game with an elbow from Leon Powe and had to get his nose packed and bandaged. He struggled for the most part, but did show flashes of what could be. He will need some time to get used to the NBA game but will be a good player along the lines of Andrea Bargnani. He finished with 7 points on 1-5 shooting to go with 5 rebounds, 2 blocks and 7 fouls.
The Celtics shot 41%, an improvement over the last game and held the Chinese National Team to 30%. The Celtics won the rebounding war 43-28. If the Celtics are going to win this season, it will be the defense and rebounding that will make the difference. The Celtics are off tonight and play the Bucks tomorrow night at 8. If you missed the game, NBA.com will be replaying it from 4-6pm eastern time tonight. FSN will replay it at noon eastern time.
[Recap]
[Box Score]
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A Few Updates on the Celtics and League News
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 7:20 PM
First of all, there is a lot of buzz about Rashard Lewis's contract with the Magic. According to ESPN: Orlando has agreed to a sign-and-trade deal with the Seattle SuperSonics that will allow Lewis to make $126.4 million over the next six seasons, according to NBA sources who requested anonymity. The Magic will send a second-round pick to the Sonics. He will be getting over 25 million in the 6th year of his contract. Let's put this into a little perspective. The Celtics will have BOTH Paul Pierce and Ray Allen for 106.4 million over the next six seasons. When you look at it that way, The Celtics got a real bargain.
ESPN is also reporting that Gerald Wallace has resigned with the Bobcats for $57 million over 6 years. That is much more reasonable than Lewis's contract.
On FSN tonight, Mike Gorman said that the Celtics are definitely interested in Darko and would offer him the whole MLE (which is $5.356 million for next season). He also said that Memphis has more money than the Celtics to spend and we will have to wait to see if they do offer him more and if he goes for it. Gorman also mentioned that the Celtics have had talks about trading for Camby but they have to see what they would have to give up to get him. He mentioned the fact that Camby has only played in about 60 games per season and that he complains about not getting enough touches and that could be a problem with Pierce, Allen and Jefferson being the top 3 options on offense. Gorman said that there aren't any players available that the Celtics haven't inquired about. He also mentioned that he thinks that the owners wouldn't be set against paying luxury tax if it meant being a contender. He also mentioned that the Garnett talks aren't completely dead, either.
UPDATE: An update to the updates - ESPN is reporting that Darko has agreed to sign with the Grizzlies for 3 years for an amount subtantially above the mid level exception. It was nice to think about for a few minutes, anyway. Now we wait to see if they signed Darko to go with Gasol or to replace him.
Speaking of the Luxury Tax, the NBA has announced the new figures for the 2007-1008 season. The Salary Cap has been raised to $55.630 million and the Luxury Tax threshold has been raised to $67.865 million. The Mid-Level Exception is now $5.356 million. The Celtics payroll right now, before signing their draft picks, is at $63.835 million. Signing them plus using the midlevel exception will put us into the Luxury Tax. Trading Ratliff's contract could help, but then we still need to re-sign Jefferson to at least 8 million of that. Any way I look at it, if we are to bring in players to fill needs and re-sign our talented players, the owners are going to have to spend some money.
Things are heating up with the moratorium on signing free agents over. Some big numbers being tossed around. According to Gorman, we are pursuing everyone who is available that would fill our needs. Keep checking Loy's Place for breaking news as it happens. For now, it's almost game time. I sure hope we play better tonight than we did on Monday.
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Spurs Vs Celtics (full game)
by Loyalist 11:26 AM
NBA.com finally released the horrid Spurs vs C's Game. And now I present my fellow Greeniacs with this study in how not to play basketball.
Enjoy!
source: NBA.com
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Fiddlin' and Diddlin' on 7/11
by FLCeltsFan 9:16 AM
First of all, last night on the late edition of Sports Tonight on FSN, Mike Gorman said that the buzz in Vegas yesterday was that the Celtics main emphasis now is a back up Center. The main buzz yesterday was that the Celtics may be focusing on Marcus Camby but that Theo's contract year may make him helpful on the court this season. He also said that as of right now, Telfair is our #2 option at the PG and that the Celtics. The Herald also covers Telfairs improbable rise from the ashes as does Celtics Blog.
Celtics.com discusses Green's push to diversify his game. With the Boston media, you never know if they are high on a player and just reporting good stuff or they are trying to hype up their value for a trade so they can get rid of them. There have been a lot of articles lately on Green's hard work to diversify and on Telfair's reformation and that makes me wonder.
The most intriguing article today comes from Scott Souza in the MetroWest Daily News. Doc Rivers has an answer to critics who say that his teams in Boston have been indifferent to the concept of defense since he arrived three years ago.
He's taking over.
After guiding the offensive play his first three seasons, while top assistant Tony Brown oversaw the defense, Rivers revealed he will be the main person handling the defensive scheme now that Brown has left the Celtics for an assistant's job with the Bucks.
"Right now it's with me and I don't mind that," the coach said after watching his team play a second straight spirited defensive game in the summer league on Monday. "My first year as a coach (in Orlando), when I won Coach of the Year, I didn't let anybody but me deal with defense. Since then I've tried to focus on offense and have always hired a defensive coach. It's been Tony here.
"Offensively, we've run the same system and we know that now," he continued, "so I am going to give that to one of the other coaches. I will have (summer league coach) Armond (Hill) run the offense this year and I will take over the defense, along with whomever I hire (as another assistant). That will be my focus."
According to Hill, the head coach's emphasis on defense has been a focus of the practices leading up to and during the summer league.
"Doc is taking the lead and everyone else is following," said Hill. "What we have done in the first five practices is that we have worked on defense. We have explained to the guys what is expected of them, where they should be, how they should play." I am not sure if I buy the fact that our lack of defense was all Tony Brown's fault. Doc didn't put much emphasis on defense either. In my opinion, Danny issued an ultimatum to Doc and told him either we play defense or he was gone before the All Star break. And Doc conveniently turns into a defensive guru and Tony Brown is a convenient scapegoat. One thing is for sure, however it happens, an emphasis on defense is a good thing and the team has played good defense so far in Summer League. I just hope it continues with the regular season.
Speaking of defense, there are a couple of articles on Brandon Wallace on the USC website and on NBA Glue. On another front, Paul Pierce is out in LA for the ESPY's and is playing soccer. I don't think he is going for a career change but looks like he is having fun with it.
Davis has done well on the boards but has been very underwhelming on the boards and Gator Sports and SI.com are both discussing the fact that the Celtics are waiting on him to prove that he can play on both ends of the court. Ryan Gomes is playing basketball in Connecticut. Can Danny takes a look at the new Luxury Tax level. The Celtics are getting closer to it and whatever moves Danny makes, he will have to keep that in mind.
I am looking forward to tonight's game. It should be a good one. I am excited about the fact that the team may actually be putting an emphasis on defense, even if it is Doc doing it.
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Preview: Celtics vs Chinese National Team
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Fiddlin' and Diddlin' on 7/10
by FLCeltsFan 9:06 AM
The buzz this morning is all around the Brandon Wallace signing. It's a good thing there is something to take our minds off the terrible game we played yesterday. The Herald , the Globe, and the MetroWest Daily News all have reports on the signing. The Herald also covers yesterday's game, reporting that the Celtics went back to their old ways after a good showing in their first game. The Globe tells us that it is time for Allan Ray to make his case for staying with the team. In the MetroWest Daily we also learn that Rondo is improving from the outside. He has been a bit too unselfish so far and needs to learn when to take the shot and when to pass. That will come as he gains more experience.
The Philly Inquirer gives us the little tidbit that the Celtics are pursuing Joe Smith along with the Sixers, Bulls, and Rockets. Former Celtic Marcus Banks set a new Vegas SL record, scoring 42 points in a Suns loss. Banks is still showing flashes of being good but still hasn't gotten the concept of running a team and making other players better. Former Celtic Antoine Walker was robbed at gunpoint in his Chicago home. Glad to hear that Toine is ok after the ordeal.
CelticsBlog has a good article by Gabe Kahn covering the Spurs game. Red's Army brings up the question of whether Green is more expendable with the signing of Brandon Wallace.
The Port Arthur News tells us that Perk is in his hometown sharing his experiences with kids at the Stephen Jackson baskeball camp. Only 10 Things gives us some good thoughts on judging rookies and other young players. He reminds us of something that we sometimes forget: it takes longer for centers and point guards to develop. We have only to look at Chauncey Billups and Jermaine O'Neal and the teams that gave up on them to realize how true this is. The Boston Sports Review makes some comparisons to the '02 Celtics team.
Well, we have had one very good game and one terrible game so the jury is still out about our current Summer League entry. Hopefully they will pull it together and play much better against the Chinese National Team tomorrow. I like the Brandon Wallace signing. Danny is definitely going to have to make a 3 for 1 trade or cut some players. I am expecting another trade any day now. Maybe a sign and trade will go down after tomorrow when players can actually sign. We will also know the luxury tax threshold, which may be something Danny is waiting for as well. We will keep you up to date with all the happenings as we hear them.
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